The National Science Teachers Association hosted a special day for PreK-2 teachers who want to make science more fun, more hands-on and more integrated into their teaching experiences. The Science for Young Learners Day was the brainchild of Bill Ritz, Professor Emeritus at California State University and the Conference Chairperson for the 54th Annual NSTA Conference in Anaheim, California (April 6-9, 2006). Bill Ritz and his conference planning committee invited me to help them kick-off the day as their morning keynote speaker.

Download a special handout from the morning keynote.

There was a “buzz” in the packed room of early childhood specialists even before the program started. Some teachers arrived more than an hour early (just because they were excited to attend a mini-conference dedicated to early childhood hands-on science) and most of the participants didn’t wait for the session to officially begin before starting to share some of their best teaching ideas with others at their table. NSTA President Michael Padilla impressed me so much with his opening comments: “Science education is in a crisis today… and the early childhood educators in the room will play an important role in helping us prepare young learners to be life-long learners in science.” Michael hit the nail on the head, and these educators know the important role they play in preparing students with the skills needed to wonder, discover, explore and to really do science.

The keynote message was simple and direct: Turn ordinary activities into unforgettable learning experiences by building real-world connections. My hat’s off to Bill Ritz and everyone at NSTA who shined the spotlight on the amazing teachers who bring hands-on science alive for young learners.

Comedian, motivational speaker and magician Brad Montgomery has three children, ages 4, 7 and 8. My own kids are 6 and twins aged 3. All we have to do is tell each other what the kids did and we have plenty to laugh about.

The same thing happens with teachers. Just write down the funny things that happen throughout the year.

You can always tell the sign of a healthy school if you go into a teachers’ lounge at lunchtime and the teachers are laughing.

When people say: “Brad, we need our school to be more fun”, the first step is to decide that it’s OK for that to happen. I have seen people who are the most dour, sour, uptight people in the world and you can tell they are not funny. In fact, they are the opposite of funny. Funny is not allowed. Some teachers are like that.

Everything will follow if you not only allow yourself to be funny, but you allow others to be funny. How do you do it? Just laugh yourself. The next time something crazy happens in your classroom - laugh. Everyone else will see that, and they will realise you have and cherish a sense of humor. With your laugh, you are giving permission to share humor and have fun in the classroom.

How can kids be learning in the classroom if you are playing around? In the hands of a master teacher, laughter and humor can create unforgettable experiences. I think to be an amazing teacher you have to use humor. When a kid comes back 2-3 years later and he or she says: “You know, you really were teaching us” — wow! What a thrill! They actually get it.

Idea!
Wouldn’t it be cool to set up a notebook in the teachers’ lounge and the job for every teacher is to collect the funniest things that happen during the day.

Listen to my podcast on permission to laugh

(File size is 2.1 MB) (Show length 9 minutes)

Laughing is good for us. Those little neurons open up and our bodies react in positive ways. There are even people who study the science of laughter.

Magician, comedian and motivational speaker Brad Montgomery says that no matter what our job is, we could all do with an injection of humor in our day-to-day activities. This applies particularly to teachers - one of the hardest jobs on the planet.

In Brad’s experience, there are people who study humor techniques and those who are funny in front of groups professionally. Those who study what humor does to the body — the science of laughter — have long and detailed analyses of how laughter and smiling make physical changes in our bodies. Yes! There is hard science supporting this nebulous thing.

But really, humor just feels good. Somehow those scientists just need to sit down and laugh. People who are in front of groups every day, like teachers, need to laugh. And teachers who know how to get their students laughing are creating a wonderful learning environment that keeps them coming back for more.

Future podcasts will feature Brad Montgomery’s tips and suggestions to help teachers inject a little humor in their classrooms, as they convey all that really important information to their students.

And for more information about Brad Montgomery take a look at www.bradmontgomery.com.

Listen to my podcast on using humor to teach

(File size is 1.6 MB) (Show length 6 minutes 38 seconds)